Tantalizing Clarification

The last time I was interviewed, I noticed a pattern in some of the questions I was getting. I have been lucky enough to have folks around the country to support my bacon project sight unseen. People here in Portland have never tasted my bacon either, which will change after the Heritage Breed Supper Club. Thus far, only a fortunate circle of Brooklyn foodies have experienced this alchemy. As far as I know, and I've done some research, I am the only person testing the limits of meat curing this way. For this reason, the product itself is misunderstood. I'd like to quickly clear up some of these meaty misgivings.

My bacon is not the bacon you get in the store, even the 15 buck a pound stuff you find in specialty shops. That bacon is cured in a few ingredients and almost always smoked. My bacon is also not this finished product covered in different seasonings, or the caboose on the bacon train that has taken over food blogs. It is not smoked bacon covered in chocolate or infused in booze.

All those things are what my bacon is not. So you ask, what is my bacon?

My bacon starts from raw pork, is cured in many ingredients and roasted not smoked. Because I start every slab from scratch, I can do darn near any flavor you can think of. It is all physics and chemistry, as long as I keep certain elements in balance, I can really push the boundaries. For example, a slab of Mango-Chili bacon would start as a raw piece of belly. I would then slather it in a handmade sauce of chili peppers and mango, spices, and the most necessary part of curing-- salt. It would then sit in that mixture for a number of days before being oven-roasted. I use only kosher salt and never use nitrates/nitrites, even from natural sources. Not smoking my bacon makes that possible. Roasting as opposed to smoking also results in a much more nuanced, layered and delicate flavor profile. Someone even described it as tasting "clean". In contrast, smoking anything results in a deep, smoky flavor which is undeniably delicious, but not a friend of subtlety.

As my process is pretty unique and there are no patents on recipes, I have been and will remain pretty secretive about my exact methods. I just thought it would be good to clear up some of the confusion and to explain why this will be pretty much the best bacon you have ever tasted.

I really look forward to the 15 new flavors that will be developed as a result of the Kickstarter drive! Can't wait to share them!

There are still a few seats available for the Heritage Breed Supper Club at The Cleaners at Ace Hotel Portland! See previous post for info, hurry and reserve your seats today! This is a wonderful gift idea or holiday date night! See you there!